The musical "42nd Street" is now playing there, and it offers such abundance in tap that even the most ardent Fred and Ginger fans will leave satisfied.

It is a show about making a show, pitting the fresh-faced newcomer to New York against a fading star whose sugar daddy has deep pockets and is funding a new musical. There is nothing new or surprising in the plot, or how it ends; it really is just a vehicle for the dancing talent of any performer in the show.

Peggy Sawyer, the prodigy of a tap dancer, solidly played by Katie Ulrich, proves her dancing chops in a series of dance challenges from various chorus members.

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These early dance sequences demonstrated that the cast of this show has a high degree of technical achievement, but I had to wait until later in the show for the numbers to be both technically excellent and fluidly graceful, although I never got the great Fred and Ginger couple-dance I wanted. Whether it was a deliberate tactic or not, the increasing seamlessness of the dancing as the show moved forward worked well to create a climax in demonstration of talent and achievement that coincided with the climax of a thin plot.

But nobody goes to see "42nd Street" for the depth of the relationships -- it really is all about the dancing, and director Michael J. Duran skillfully built the "onstage" and "backstage" interaction and performances to great effect.

This production has a cast that is long in talent. Newcomer Johnny Stewart added radiance to the stage, and he is an incredible dance talent. John Scott Claugh (Julian Marsh) and Alicia Dunfee (Dorothy Brock) both delivered the balance of hopefulness, sensitivity and cynical worldviews found in seasoned theater professionals. The choreography was precise and complex and really highlighted BDT's consistency in technical achievement, performance and overall production level as it sets a high standard for theatrical professionalism in the Boulder area.

The costume design requirements for "42nd Street" are massive. Linda Morken managed to create a fun, whimsical, wonderfully glamorous design. And she also somehow made it easy for the actors to exit in one costume and immediately return to the stage in another. Kudos to the Linda and her crew for pulling it off, although I have to say, I was longing for better wigs.

Meanwhile, Amy Campion's set design was elegant and playful, and scenic transitions were fast and seamless.

While mostly bereft of any kind of serious message, the tap numbers just keep coming like a freight train, each a bit more spectacular than the next, and the production is a real homage to old-time golden-age musicals and the Tony Award-winning original production.

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